Ear muff



E. BERG EAR MUFF Filed March 31, 1945 Patented Dec. 31, 1946 EAR MUFF Elaine Berg, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 31, 1945, Serial No. 585,909

Claims.

The present invention relates to ear muffs in' tended to protect the ears of the wearer from cold weather.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved ear muff which is adapted readily and easily to `be put on.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved ear muff which is adapted to cover the whole ear and fit snugly against the side of the head so as to exclude cold air and to protect the ear against cold under practically any conditions that may be encountered.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved ear muifs which are simple and economical to manufacture, which require a minimum amount of material, and which protect not only the cartilaginous structure of the ear but also the lobes thereof.

Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description wherein reference is made to the accompanying single sheet of drawings in which:

Fig. l is a View in perspective of a pair of ear muffs of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View showing how one of the muffs engages and cooperates with an ear of the wearer;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the pattern (reduced in size) for one of the two pieces of fabric of which such ear muff is made; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a pattern (similarly reduced in size) for the other piece of fabric utilized in making such muff.

SimilarV reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the drawing, the two ear muis 90 and 9| preferably are identical in construction but reversed in position and desirably they are slidably mounted upon a resilient flexible tension member 92 which passes into the ear muff 90 in its edge wall 93 at an aperture 94, thence outward at an aperture 95, inward again at an aperture 99, and outward at an aperture 9'! in the lower part of the edge wall 93. Such tension member passes similarly through muff 9|.

The resilient flexible tension member 92 may be a colth covered strand of rubber or other similar resilient material. The upper portion 98 of this resilient member passes above the head of the wearer approximately at the front hair line while the lower portion 99 passes about the head of the wearer at the nape of the neck.

The muffs 90 and 9| preferably are constructed of relatively stiff material such as native lambs Wool as shown, or of relatively stiff felt or other heavy fabric for the purpose of giving its edge wall an inherent stiffness to retain the shape as shown. However, when a muif is made of thin lmaterial having insufficient stiffness, a stiffener having the shape of half of the pattern of Fig. 4 may be inserted between the portions of the edge wall -93 to stien this part of the muif. It is also possible to insert a similar stiffener between the two parts of the side wall |09 as shown in Fig. 2 to stien this part of the muff, but stiffeners are not necessary when native lambs wool is employed as shown in Fig. 2.

Each of the ear muffs and 9| consists of two wall portions, the side wall |00 and the edge wall 93. The side wall |00 is partially circular in shape having the approximately straight forward edge |0| and the curved other edge |02. The curved portion extends substantially beyond half of a circle and as a matter of fact the pattern of the side wall |00 is substantially oval with a dat side as shown in Fig. 3 where two portions of the side wall integrally joined together are shown in pattern. These portions are folded along the line which corresponds to the front edge wall 0| and they are provided wtih apertures 95, 96 which register with each other and are located to receive the tension member 92.

The edge wall 93 is also made of a single piece of fabric the pattern for which is shown in Fig. 4. In this case the pattern is formed with a pair of boundaries |03, |04 having similar curvature and curved on a relatively larger circle so that these boundaries join at the points |05, |00 and form the pattern shown. The length of each boundary |03, |04 corresponds'in length to the length of a curved edge |02 from the point where it joins the line I0| around to the other line at the bottom of the pattern in Fig. 3. Thus, one edge |03 may be secured to one edge |02 of the pattern I5 and the other edge |04 may be secured to the other edge |02 of the pattern l5.

The piece of lambs wool of which the edge wall 93 is made is also preferably provided with apertures 94 at the top and 91 at the bottom so that when this fabric is folded along the line |01 the apertures 95 will register with each other and apertures 91 will register with each other to permit the passage of the tension member 92 as shown in Fig. 1.

The pieces of material for each mu of course may be cut out with suitable dies which provide the apertures at the same time. Then it is only necessary to sew the edges of the two pieces |00 and 93 together along two lines of stitching indicated at |08 and |09 as shown in Fig. 2.

The type of stitching which preferably is employed is similar to that which is used for button-heling which simultaneously secures the edges of the blanks together and protects them against raveling. Then one side of the pattern of the side wall |00 may be folded backward along the line I| against the other side, providing a double side wall |00 with the wall extending outward and inward as shown in Fig. 2 and simultaneously the edge wall 93 will be folded along the line ll iorming a double edge wall 93 with the native lambs wool extending inward and outward. This causes the seams m3 and |89 to register with each other and the apertures for the tension member 92 to register with each other so that the ear muffs may then be slidably mounted upon the tension member 92 and its ends may be secured together by stitching or other convenientl means as indicated at H0.

Such ear mui is adapted to house the ear as shown in Fig. 2 without crushing the ear, as the edge wall 93 tapers back toward the top front and from the back toward the bottom iront. The tension member should be arrangedwell forward on the head so that this tension member tends to pull the mufr forwardly on the ear and the rear portion l! l of the ear tends to cam the edge wall 93 closely against the side of the head at that point. Such a tapering edge Wall ts closely against the contour of the head behind the ear While the relatively straight front edge also engages the head in front of the ear, completelya enclosing the ear in such manner that it is pro tected on all sides.

It will be` observed that only two pieces of material are required and that they are secured together along what appears to be two lines of stitching in Fig. 2 but which is actually one line of stitching extending completely about the pattern of Fig. 3 and that of Fig. 4. Thus the muis may be made with a minimum amount of labor and material.

The muis 9i! and 9| properly may be regarded l metrical portion of the wall ll representing the leading or cutting edgeof a scoop.

`One of the most important advantages of this type of ear mui resides in the fact that there is absolutely no restraint placed upon the ear. The ear is not `bent against the side of the head, and there is ample room for the ear to be at rest in its normal position; and of course the width of the side wall may be made as much as is necessary to insure comfort for the ears of the wearer.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be ,limited Ato the precise details of construction set forth, but wish to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A generally `scoop-shaped mui comprising a rst wall which consists of two plies of flexible material integrally joined at the unflanged perimetrical portion of said rst wall, and a second wall in the natuie of a continuous ilange for a major portion but not all of the perimeter of said first wall, said second wall consisting of two plies of flexible material integrally joined at that perimetrical portion of said second wall which lies immediately adjacent to the head of the wearer when the muil" is in use, edge portions of individual plies of each wall being stitched to edge portions of individual plies of the other wall, and means for so holding said mui alongside the head of a human wearer that said rst wall overlies the side of an ear with the unlanged perimetrical portion of said rst wall lying immediately adjacent to the head afore the ear and said second wall lies immediately adjacent to the head and over, under and abaft the ear.

2. In combination, a pair of generally scoopshaped mufs, each or said muis comprising a iirst wall and a second wall in the nature of a continuous flange for a major portion but not all of the perimeter of said rst wall, and means for so holding each of said muls along the head of a human wearer that its first Wall overlies the side of an ear with the unanged perimetrical portion of said rst wall lying immediately adjacent to the head afore the ear and its second wall lies immediately adjacent to the head and over, under and abaft the ear, said holding means comprising an endless elastic exible member Whereon said mufls are threaded, each mui being threaded upon the endless elastic flexible member by having said member rst passing through the second wall of the muil, thence twice through the rst wall of the muff, and then once again through the second wall of the muil at a point remote from the pointl where first passing through said second wall.

3. In combination, a pair of generally scoopshaped muffe, each of said muis comprising a first wall and a second Wall in the nature of a continuous ange for a major portion but not all of the perimeter of said iirst wall, and means for so holding each of said muffs along the head of a human wearer that its first wall overlies the side of an ear'with the unanged perimetrical portion of said first wall lying immediately adjacent to the head afore the ear and its second wall lies immediately adjacent to the head and over, under and abaft the ear, said holding means comprising an endless elastic flexible member whereon said mufs are threaded, each mui being threaded upon the endless elastic flexible member by having said member pass through opposite end portions of its second wall.

4. In combination, a pair of muffs each comprising a first wall and a second wall in the nature or" a perimetrical flange for said first wall, and means for so holding each of said mufs alongside the head of a human wearer that its iirst wall overlies the side of an ear and its second wall lies against the head and adjacent the ear, said holding means comprising an endless elastic flexible .member whereon said muffs are threaded, each said muri being threaded upon the endless Yelastic flexible-member by having said member first passing through the second wall of the muif, thence twice through the first wall of the mu, and then again through the second wall of the muri at a point spaced substantially from the point where rst passing through said second wall.

5. In lcombination, a pair of muffs each comprising a rst wall and a second wall in the nature of a perimetrical flange for said first wall, and means for so holding each of said muffs alongside the head of a human wearer that its rst wall overlies `the side of an ear and its second wall lies against the head and adjacent the ear, said holding means comprising an endless elasticiiexible member Awhereon said mufls are threaded, each mufE being threaded upon the endless-elastic eXible member by having said member pass through substantially spaced apart portions of its second wall.

ELAINE BERG. 

